The Legacy series: The Love series, the Wrapped series, and the Burning Souls series.

by Mj Fields

  He bit lightly where his hand had been, and she gasped, ���Collin.���

  He ran his nose slowly against her pale blue silky underpants and breathed deeply, and she heard him growl softly.

  ���You smell damn delightful Tessa,��� he licked and then sucked her other thigh lightly.

  She cried out softly, and he opened his mouth and looked up into her eyes. And blew his hot breath against her panties and lightly bit down on her pulsing sweet spot and she screamed out loudly as she came.

  He lay against her and kissed her capturing her screams in his mouth and rubbing gently against her making certain her orgasm lasted longer.

  She finally caught her breath and whispered, ���Oh my God.���

  He pulled her up and kissed her gently she looked at him in amazement. And he smiled shyly.

  ���Your clothes are still on?��� She said and turned red.

  ���Yes, so are yours,��� he smiled.

  ���I didn���t even notice, wow Collin I don���t even know what to say. I think we should get them off of you so I can repay the kindness. You have given me several, and I want to give to you. I owe you,��� she said shyly.

  ���You have, you just don���t know it,��� he smirked.

  ���What?��� she laughed.

  ���How do I say this respectfully? Your memorized scent, kiss, smile, and the many, many pictures of you in my head have made me come more times than I care to admit, to the woman who has just accepted my proposal,��� he chuckled.

  Tessa looked confused.

  ���You may not know it, but we have been in the shower together more than just once,��� he winked.

  ���I don���t understand,��� Tessa said confused.

  He grabbed her face, ���The first day I saw you I wrapped my hands around my cock and jerked off to the picture of you in my head.���

  Tessa���s jaw dropped.

  ���How does that make you feel?��� he asked stroking her face.

  ���Oddly��� turned on,��� she smiled and bit her lip.

  ���Good, don���t ever try to keep score Tessa,��� he warned.

  She laughed, ���You have no idea what you���re getting yourself into.���

  She pulled his suit coat off and loosened his tie and slipped it over his head and unbuttoned his shirt.

  ���You are beyond hot, Mr. Abraham,��� she kissed him.

  ���You are beyond beautiful and smell like fucking lilacs��� he kissed her hard on the mouth.

  Tessa laughed when he pulled away, ���Lilacs?���

  ���Weird huh?��� he said running his hands through his hair, ���Sweet and spicy not audacious but��� fucking perfect, I cannot wait to taste you.���

  ���Likewise Collin. When can we get married?��� Tessa smiled.

  ���Whenever you want,��� he said and kissed her again.

  ���I want to wait until then,��� she whispered and pushed her head against his chest.

  ���What?��� he laughed.

  ���I know it sounds��� I just want to wait,��� she looked up at him.

  Collin smiled, ���Okay, so next weekend then?���

  Tessa laughed, ���Sorry.���

  He lifted her chin and looked at her, ���Don���t be. But I���m serious. What kind of wedding do you want?���

  ���Just us would be perfect,��� she covered her eyes.

  ���What���s wrong?��� he smiled.

  ���I keep thinking it���s all too soon, and that I need to slow down and date you, not plan a wedding after just a few weeks,��� she felt him tense up. ���Collin listen to me, that���s what I keep thinking. What I feel with my heart and my soul is that you were always the one, I love you. I feel safe with you. I trust you and that is insane knowing what I have been through with Lucas, but that���s my head. My heart is all yours and I know without a doubt that I love you.���

  He let out the breath he had been holding, ���I���m yours and only yours Tessa. Forever. It has to be the same for you.���

  She looked at him and her brows knit together. He ran his thumb upward trying to release her scowl. He kissed her lightly.

  ���I���m not as confident as you might think when it comes to you. I do, however, read people well. If I didn���t feel that you felt the same, I wouldn���t have opened myself up for hurt. You could easily break me Tessa. More easily than you could even imagine. You were an angel the first time you kissed me back all those years ago. No one, not even my mother had kissed me. I felt comforted by that kiss and the way you gave me your food��� well for years I dreamt of you. I thought you may not have been real, maybe just a place in my imagination or vision of an angel with the blue ribbon in her hair, giving me the comfort I desperately needed. It was nothing sexual it was kindness and caring. I had never experienced it before, until you,��� he continued to caress her face as he spoke softly reminiscing. ���Regardless of the women I���ve had sex with nothing ever felt like I did then. I never kissed them like I do you or talked about anything. Besides my siblings, there have only been two people I have felt the need to comfort. You were one, the first person I actually held in my arms when Ann passed. I did hug her I think, she was kind. And once at a funeral for a fellow soldier. I felt drawn to comfort a sobbing girl. I���m sure it was because of Coleen, my sister. But this young woman was just shattered: sitting in a dress on the ground sifting dirt through her fingers. I was drawn to comfort her��� Tessa pulled away from his hand, and he blinked, ���Sorry Tessa, I hope that didn���t upset you.���

  ���Collin, where was this funeral?���

  ���There were so many. But I am sure it was here in New York��� Syracuse I think,��� he said. ���It doesn���t matter������

  Tessa cut him off and tears started falling from her eyes, ���Toby Green?���

  He looked at her silently for a moment, ���Do you know him?���

  ���It was me, I was the one on the ground,��� she threw her arms around him and cried harder, ���You gave me a tissue.���

  ���My God, Tessa,��� he said and held her tightly.

  He stroked her hair as she cried and rocked her back and forth.

  ���Everything alright in here?��� Maggie asked as she and John walked into Tessa���s room.

  ���Yes,��� Tessa sobbed and he held her tighter.

  Collin felt tears building in his eyes and buried his head in her hair.

  ���What is going on?��� John asked forcefully.

  Tessa sat back and Collin wiped her tears and she did the same to him, and she kissed his face over and over again.

  ���Daddy, I���m going to marry this man and we are going to be together for the rest of our lives,��� Tessa laughed, and Collin pulled her against him again.

  ���Okay, that���s good right?��� John asked.

  Collin and Tessa laughed, ���I���m going to use the bathroom, please excuse me.���

  Collin walked down the stairs, and Maggie grabbed Tessa and hugged her, ���Are you alright?���

  ���Never better Mom. I met him at VBS when we were kids, he comforted me when Ann died, and he was the soldier at Toby���s funeral that handed me a tissue,��� she sobbed.

  Collin walked in and squatted down by the bed and wiped her eyes with a tissue and hugged her tightly, ���I love you Tessa.���

  ���You were at Toby���s funeral Collin?��� Maggie asked.

  ���Yeah, I was
, I had no idea,��� his voice sounded haunted. He pulled Tessa up, ���Your daughter is my angel. I promise to never let anyone hurt her ever. I want to take care of her and love her forever. And with all due respect we need to get married quickly because she is going to make me wait until we do.���

  Tessa laughed and cried more, ���It needs to be at the Cape with Pastor Lou.���

  ���Yes it does,��� Collin smiled and hugged her.

  ���We need to get you ready to go,��� Tessa laughed.

  ���I���ll know more when I get there, but I want you to be my wife the day I get back,��� he said looking in her eyes.

  ���I want that, too,��� Tessa laughed.

  ���I know,��� he smiled.

  They turned around, and John was holding Maggie as she cried.

  ���Mom?��� Tessa said with deep concern.

  ���Happy tears, Tessa,��� she smiled.

  ���Okay Mom, don���t be sad,��� Tessa hugged her.

  She turned to Collin, ���I���m going to miss you.���

  ���You���ll be busy planning a wedding,��� he smiled.

  ���I want to go to the Cape while you���re gone,��� Tessa laughed.

  ���I really would like you to stay here and plan with your Mom Tessa,��� he said softly.

  ���Okay,��� she laughed and hugged him, ���We���re getting married.���

  ���Yes we are,��� he smiled and pulled her closer.

  Tomas picked Collin up and after a tearful goodbye Tessa decided to go for a run with Leia.

  * * *

  She ran behind the farm and down the trail and sat by the waterfalls. She had never felt such contentment before in her life. She knew without a doubt Collin Abraham was made for her and she for him.

  Tessa stood and noticed the tree she had carved in when she and Lucas first had sex. She picked up a sharp rock and started to scrap it away. She felt tears building in her eyes as she dug harder into it.

  When it was finally gone, she was sobbing, and her hand was bleeding. She had not realized she had dug so hard it caused her to hurt herself. The pain in her heart from the time with him was far harsher than that of her hand. She walked to the water and put her hand in it to clean it off and watched as the blue water turned red. She sat and watched. She knew this was going to hurt him and regardless of what had transpired between them she did love Lucas Links once, for a very very long time. That doesn���t go away, not for her. But she had two reasons now to never get sucked back in, her heart and Collins. She knew he would treasure her, she already knew this. She felt it deep inside and throughout her entire being.

  Tessa walked into the house and grabbed a paper towel and applied pressure to her wound.

  ���What did you do?��� Maggie asked from behind her.

  ���I was scratching something I had carved in a tree away. Pretty therapeutic until I realized I was bleeding,��� she laughed as she turned around and Lucas was standing there with Maggie.

  He looked at her and closed his eyes.

  ���You have company. I���ll be outside if you need anything,��� Maggie walked outside.

  ���Hi. I didn���t know you were������ Tessa began.

  ���Our initials?��� Lucas asked with pain in his eyes.

  ���Would you like a drink?��� Tessa asked as she bandaged her hand.

  ���Where���s your head Tessa?��� he asked sadly.

  ���I don���t want to do this again,��� she said softly.

  ���Then don���t Tessa. Don���t walk away from us.���

  Tessa said nothing and grabbed two glasses of water and sat down.

  ���You���re getting married?���

  ���Yes,��� she answered still looking down.

  Tessa still couldn���t bear to look at him and see him hurt.

  ���Look at me baby, damn it,��� he went to touch her and she pulled back. ���Tell me what to do,��� he said insistently. ���Just tell me. I will do any goddamn thing you need me too Tessa.���

  ���You have Jessie, I have Collin. I really don���t know what else there is to say,��� she whispered.

  ���She isn���t you. I can end it with her tomorrow, now, and we can get through this, please baby,��� Lucas begged.

  ���I���m supposed to be with Collin, I love him,��� she looked up at him.

  ���You have loved others and always come back to me, to us,��� he pleaded.

  ���No, that���s not true. Toby died, and my love for him was ��� different,��� she explained.

  ���And Ben? You loved him too. Can���t you see you���re just trying to get over us? I���m telling you you don���t have to. I would never������ he began.

  ���This is different he and I are supposed to be together. We love each other. You and I��� we hurt each other. You had to be with other people he would never������ she began.

  ���Really? And what do you know about him Tessa? You���ve known him for all of five minutes,��� his hands balled into fists at his side.

  ���Well, actually we met at the Cape when I was much younger. Lucas he���s Ann���s Joe, the man who held me when she died. He also������ she smiled.

  ���Spare me the details Tessa. That���s all coincidence������ he rolled his eyes.

  Tessa grabbed the photo album Pastor Lou had made and handed it to him.

  ���Sit, please?���

  ���I have photo albums too Tessa, four years worth of them, this means nothing!��� Lucas snapped.

  She looked down and played nervously with her hands.

  ���What would Toby think Tessa, huh?��� he grabbed her hand.

  ���Well,��� she smiled, ���Collin met Toby.���

  ���You believe this guy���s shit Tessa? You don���t even know him!���

  ���He was at Toby���s funeral,��� she whispered.

  ���Great, so was I,��� he yelled.

  Tessa���s phone rang, and she smiled.

  ���Hi,��� she answered softly and walked into the other room.

  ���I���m in New York City now. I���ll be taking off shortly. I will return early Friday morning. Friday sound alright?��� Collin asked with a smile in his voice.

  ���Friday sounds perfect,��� she whispered.

  ���Good Pastor Lou is available. I have that set up the rest is all up to you. Unless you���ll allow me to help.���

  ���It���s our wedding Collin, whatever you want I am sure would be perfect,��� she giggled softly.

  ���Lilac���s lots of them,��� he said in a deep tone.

  Tessa laughed, ���And so you will have them, lots of them.���

  ���Forever?��� he asked.

  ���Forever,��� she said softly.

  ���My flights being called, I love you.���

  ���And I love you. Have a safe flight please call me when you land. By the way, where are you going?��� she laughed.

  He laughed, ���I���m not used to sharing this sort of information, I���ll email you. Got to go ��� I love you Tessa Ross,��� Collin said softly.

  ���I love you Collin Abraham,��� Tessa said and hung up.

  Tessa walked into the kitchen smiling.

  Lucas sat stewing, ���You love him?���

  ���I do,��� she sat.

  �
���Thanks for that, definitely needed to hear that,��� his jaw stiffened.

  ���Lucas I forgot you were here, I didn���t mean to������ she began.

  ���You forgot I was here?��� he snapped.

  ���I���m sorry. No, I���m not. Lucas I���m going to marry him and have a family with him. He���s my forever,��� she shook her head; ���I don���t know how to explain this to you.���

  ���Where is he Tessa? Did he tell you where he was going? You didn���t even know! You���re not that stupid!��� he yelled.

  ���No, I���m not!��� she snapped back.

  ���Collin Abraham, huh?��� he stood up and walked to the door.

  ���Jessie! Sadi! Jenny! Tipper and many others. Again Lucas��� you and I were clearly not working for a reason. It certainly wasn���t because I didn���t try,��� she laughed.

  ���It���s funny huh Tessa, real funny. I can���t do this without you. You���ve been my strength, my reason for being! And you laugh!��� Lucas yelled.

  ���You���re fine, you���ll be fine. Don���t you see you ass, I want you to be happy! Why can���t you want that for me?���

  ���I do. Damn it Tessa,��� he grabbed her face, ���I need to fix this for you, for us. Baby I love you,��� he kissed her and pulled her into his arms.

  ���No,��� she whispered, ���Not the kind of love I need.���

  ���I can be everything you need. PLEASE, let me fix this,��� Lucas began to cry.

  Tessa pulled away and wiped his tears and kissed his cheek, ���You need to let go of things that are broken and unfixable. I���ll always need you to be okay Lucas. I wish more than anything we could be friends. God you have been so important to me forever. I need you to be okay.���

  She began to cry, and he held her tightly, ���I have a week to prove to you I can be. And I will Tessa I will.���

  He kissed her head and hugged her again and walked out the door.

  Maggie walked in when he pulled out, ���You alright?���